Raising A Family
by FireStorm1991
Summary: This is my take on how Hiei and Kurama would be as parents. Hiei gets a son by some twisted turn of fate and Kurama discovers he has a long lost daughter. What could possibly go wrong?
1. Chapter 1 An Unexpected Run in

Disclaimer: I only own my OC Kiyoshi. YYH and its characters belong to its creator who, by the way, is not me.

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><p>There was a lot of talk around the village; another ice maiden had given birth to a boy. Rui was again given the task of ending the child's life, but this time she knew there would be a different outcome. After begging the elders to allow her to end the boy's life in private and getting approval, she raced off to find the one whose life she ruined so many years before.<p>

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><p>"So now that the Demon World Tournament is over and there's a new ruler, what are you guys going to do?" Kuwabara asked as the group of friends (mostly) was actually having a "normal" conversation at a restaurant.<p>

"Well, I do have some school work that I need to catch up on and I'm also working at my step-father's flower shop," Kurama said, sipping his soda.

"That is totally you," Yusuke said, kicking back into his seat. "I'm still not sure what I'm going to do other than be with Keiko. I did propose to her before the tournament and said we'd get married after."

"So I guess that means we'll all be seeing each other at the wedding," Kuwabara said.

"Aside from hanging out like we usually do," Kurama smirked. "But I wouldn't miss that wedding for the world." The three guys laughed while Hiei finally piped in.

"Hn. A 'wedding' is a pointless human custom."

"It's not pointless!" Kuwabara said, getting in Hiei's face (never a smart thing to do). "It's where two people who love each other pledge that love. They're bound together forever and nothing can tear them apart. I'm planning on asking Yukina to marry me someday."

Hiei's eyes narrowed and he glared at Kuwabara. "You will do no such thing," he said venomously.

"What's it to you, huh, shorty?" Kuwabara yelled, again getting in Hiei's face.

"Yes, Hiei, why does it matter to you?" Kurama asked, he and Yusuke grinning at each other and then at Hiei who looked like he wanted to kill them.

"Hn. I'm leaving," he said, walking out of the restaurant.

"Hmph. What's his problem?" Kuwabara muttered as Yusuke and Kurama were trying to refrain from laughing at Hiei's reaction to Kuwabara's announcement.

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><p>Hiei wandered the streets, not really knowing where he was going. He was contemplating many things at this point, three things to be exact: killing Kuwabara, killing Kurama, and killing Yusuke. Contemplating, yes, but he distracted himself from the truth that he knew: he could never do it. If he killed Kuwabara, whom he hated, Yukina would be devastated. Kurama and Yusuke were the only people Hiei would even dare to call "friends," but only on a good day.<p>

He also contemplated one other thing, love. The word made him feel sick and yet he couldn't escape the concept. Kurama loved his human mother and family to the point where he would give up everything just to protect them; the fool loved his sister, Shizuru, and also Yukina; Yusuke loved his mother and Keiko. Hiei just snorted and shook his head at the ridiculousness of the concept. What was love exactly? He had never felt it or anything that seemed like it…that he knew of. He was pretty sure he cared for his sister, but that was about it. And of course he had to deal with everyone else's opinion of how he should handle things with Yukina. No one knew what he was so worried about if she ever found out the truth. Hiei would never admit it to himself, but the only thing keeping him from telling her the truth was the fear of rejection.

As Hiei was finishing up his deep, slightly emotional, mental tirade, he felt the area around him drop in temperature; he stopped walking as the feeling of winter air surrounded him. He refused to turn around, but he moved his eyes to slightly glance behind and saw nothing. Hiei then moved his hand to his katana since the feeling that someone was stalking him was somewhat strong. The scent of cold air started to dissipate and he sheathed his katana. He was about to continue walking as his eyes turned to a woman in front of him. Trying to control that animosity he felt towards this woman, he narrowed his eyes and just stared her down. He noticed she was carrying something in her arms covered by a blanket.

"What do you want?" he asked, devoid of all feeling.

"I didn't want to make the same mistake twice," Rui responded, looking down at the bundle she was carrying.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at the bundle. "What does that mean?" he spat.

Her eyes saddened when she heard the defiance in his tone. She knew this wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done to prevent any other innocent child from becoming as cold as the Forbidden Child standing in front of her. Rui took in a deep breath and felt it was better to just get straight to the point as she revealed to Hiei the baby boy she was carrying. He was small and looked very fragile, in Hiei's eyes, and he had a hiruiseki stone hanging around his neck. Hiei then looked up at Rui, this time waiting for what she had to say.

"He too was born to an ice maiden, and I was again handed the task of ending his life…" she paused as tears started to form in her eyes, "…but after what happened to you and your family, the pain it caused all of you…I just, I couldn't do it again. I decided to bring the child somewhere where I knew he would be safe. I brought him to you."

Hiei just stood there showing no emotion on his face. Part of him wanted desperately to send her away and have nothing more to do with her, but then his eyes found the child's face, full of innocence, and he felt he couldn't just turn away another one like him. Rui held out the child to Hiei and Hiei hesitantly took him in his arms. Before he could ask any questions, Rui disappeared. Hiei realized what he had taken upon himself after she disappeared and was now trying to figure out what to do. He didn't know the first thing about children…except how he enjoyed killing and blood when he was one. For now, he decided to shrug it off, find Kurama, and hopefully figure out what to do with this child.

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><p>Hiei entered the restaurant he had left earlier to find that his teammates were still there chatting. Kuwabara saw him first and started freaking out.<p>

"Oh my God, Hiei!" he screamed while pointing at him. Yusuke and Kurama looked over and just gave him a quizzical look. "You don't go around Human World stealing children!"

"Could you be any less discrete?" Hiei muttered as he sat down at the table holding the baby boy.

Kurama and Yusuke noticed the stone hanging around the baby's neck and realized that this child was from the Glacial Lands from which Hiei was cast out. Their eyes widened at the realization while Kuwabara was going on and on about having to report a kidnapping. Hiei took one of his hands and massaged his temples. Kuwabara's ranting was giving him a headache and he was still trying to figure out what to do with a kid.

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><p>Yusuke finally got Kuwabara to shut up (another loss on Kuwabara's part) and the two boys left the fire demon and fox demon alone with Hiei still trying to figure out what to do with the child.<p>

"Well first you'll have to give him a name," Kurama said.

"What the hell am I supposed to name him?" Hiei grumbled.

"Come on, let's go," Kurama said signaling Hiei to follow him.

They stopped in front of Kurama's human home. Kurama went to open the door and looked at Hiei who was standing at the bottom of the porch stairs. Kurama motioned for him to come into the house and Hiei reluctantly agreed. Kurama's family was not home yet, so Kurama brought Hiei up to the guest bedroom.

"First things first," Kurama started, "I will make up something to tell my parents and you will play along." It was an order, not a request. "You will be staying here from now on."

Hiei was about to protest when Kurama interrupted. "You can't possibly be thinking you can take care of a baby by living in a tree now can you?"

Hiei looked down; he really hadn't thought this through. Before he could say anything, the baby stirred and Hiei looked down at him. The boy's blue eyes were opened and he had a small, faint smile on his face, but he didn't make a sound.

"Kiyoshi," Hiei said as a faint smile appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry?" Kurama questioned.

"His name is Kiyoshi."


	2. Chapter 2 Getting Past Challenges

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH...I'm just a fan.

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><p>The official story was that Hiei was a longtime friend of Shuichi's, but they hadn't seen each other in a while because Hiei had left the country (no joke…he left the dimension). When he returned to Japan, he found a child abandoned somewhere and didn't want to leave him. Hiei didn't know what to do with the child since he didn't know what would happen if he brought the child to the authorities. To make sure the baby boy had a good home, Hiei decided to take him in, but Hiei himself also didn't have any place to go or the resources to take care of a child and came to Shuichi for help.<p>

The thought of Hiei being some type of Good Samaritan made him sick, but Hiei knew that to keep Kiyoshi protected he would have to go along with Kurama's story. Kurama's family bought the story instantly and offered him the guest room to be his own. Shiori said that she and the two boys would go shopping for the baby supplies later. However, she knew the kid needed food and diapers so she sent her husband to get some while she took out Shuichi's old baby clothes and gave them to Hiei. Hiei forced himself to thank her and took the clothes to his new room.

When he got into the room, he set Kiyoshi down on the bed and put the clothes in a dresser except for one red and black onesie. He held it up and looked at it with a puzzled face. Kurama chuckled causing Hiei to turn to look at him. He was leaning against the door just watching his friend attempt to figure out how to take care of a child. Walking into the room and taking the onesie from Hiei, Kurama showed him how the piece of clothing could be put on the baby. Kurama picked up Kiyoshi and felt how cold he was so he wrapped him in his old, green baby blanket and handed him back to Hiei.

Eventually they went shopping for him and Shiori didn't mind helping her son's friend out. Her son wasn't kidding when he said that Hiei didn't have the proper resources to care for a child. He didn't have money or a job leaving Shiori to wonder how the two met. She decided that since she barely knew him not to press the issue at least for the week. She would have Shuichi discuss the possibilities of his friend getting a job later.

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><p>A week had gone by and Kurama talked to Hiei about the possibilities of him getting a job. Hiei narrowed his eyes at Kurama, and Kurama could tell that Hiei would attack at any moment.<p>

"You can't expect my parents to take care of all of your finances when they are trying to care for me and my step-brother. Besides, you could work at the flower shop with me. My step-father owns the company and would be willing to give you a job."

Hiei looked down and nodded. He hated the idea of working in the Human World, but he understood what Kurama meant. Taking care of a baby was a lot of work (as he was finding out); however, Kiyoshi usually stayed pretty quiet, even when he was awake.

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><p>A couple years went by and Kiyoshi was growing up fast. Hiei took him to Genkai's once a week to start training him. When Kiyoshi turned one, Hiei realized what type of demon he was. After accidently burning Hiei one day, Hiei realized that Kiyoshi was a fire demon just like him and that his powers could be dangerous if not controlled.<p>

In addition to the training, Hiei had other things to take care of during the week like his job at the flower shop. It paid well enough and the job wasn't difficult since they didn't have tons of customers at certain times during the day and, when they did have a customer, they would be quick in purchasing or ordering what they needed. It was during the Christmas season and Valentine's Day where Hiei just wanted to burn the shop down. Crowds of people would swarm in almost every day around those seasons buying and ordering plants for the people they loved and cared about. Hiei was still sickened when he heard the term love. As he had contemplated it years before, he still did now. What exactly was it?

Anyway, one Saturday, Hiei and Kiyoshi were walking up the stairs to Genkai's temple. Hiei stood close behind Kiyoshi and watched as he happily ran up the stairs occasionally looking back to make sure Hiei was still there. Hiei couldn't help but smile when he saw Kiyoshi's smiling face looking back at him. When they made it to the top, no one was there so Hiei took the opportunity to train Kiyoshi some more on focusing his spirit energy. Kurama interrupted the lesson.

"Hello Hiei, Kiyoshi," he greeted. The greeting went ignored by Hiei, but not Kiyoshi.

"Hi, Uncle Kurama, good morning," Kiyoshi said smiling and running over to hug his uncle.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your lesson, but the others have arrived," Kurama said, looking at Hiei who only glanced back.

"Yay!" Kiyoshi cheered as he ran to go see his other uncles and aunts, as he called them.

"Uncle Yusuke, Aunt Keiko! Hi!" Kiyoshi said running over to them. He hadn't seen them in a few weeks.

"Hey, kiddo," Yusuke said, messing with his light brown hair. "How've you been?"

Kiyoshi smiled. "I've been good. Daddy's been training me a little every week and I start going to school in the fall."

"Hey, that's great," Yusuke said. "It looks like we'll have another fighter on our hands."

"Just don't get into fights at school like your uncle over here," Keiko said.

"Oh come on, Keiko. The kid has to have a little fun." Keiko shot him a warning look and he shut up.

"Where's Uncle Bara and Auntie Yukina?" he asked innocently as Hiei and Kurama were entering the room. Hiei flinched when he heard Kiyoshi ask about his "uncle," whom he hated, and when he heard him call Yukina his "aunt" (which she really was, more than any of the others at least).

"They're coming up right behind us," Yusuke said pointing behind him. "Kuwabara had to get a few things to bring up."

Hiei let out a quiet "hn." Kiyoshi heard and then turned around and charged at Hiei. Hiei was taken by surprise and knocked down.

"Daddy!" Kiyoshi exclaimed as he hugged philophobic fire demon. Hiei quickly returned the hug and then moved away from Kiyoshi who was now running around his aunt and uncle. He was in a very good mood which caused Hiei to display another faint smile.

"Okay, guys, we made it up here," Kuwabara said, carrying a ton of stuff. "Thanks for the help, Urameshi."

Before Yusuke could retort, Kiyoshi jumped over to Kuwabara knocking him over. "Uncle Bara!" he exclaimed. Before Kuwabara knew it, both he and Kiyoshi were on the floor covered by bags and some party decorations. Yukina appeared in the doorway and Kiyoshi ran over to her to give her a hug too. Yukina smiled and she was followed by Botan and Shizuru.

"Hey, kid, how's it going?" Shizuru said, standing in the doorway finishing up her cigarette.

"Good. I start school in the fall Auntie Shizuru," he said smiling, looking at her from where he stood hugging Yukina.

"That's good," Botan said. "Just make sure you stay out of trouble." She looked at Yusuke when she said that.

"Why does everyone always look at me like that? I'm not that bad am I?"

"Yes, you are," Kurama said and everyone started laughing. Kiyoshi looked down at the ground where the bags Kuwabara dropped were.

"What's with all the party favors?" he asked, tilting his head at his family.

"Come on, kid," Shizuru said walking into the temple. "You didn't forget your own birthday, did you?"

Kiyoshi thought for a second about what day it was and it hit him…it was already June twenty-second, his "birthday" (more like the day Rui gave him to Hiei).

"I forgot today was the twenty-second," he said dazed. He looked over to his father, smiled, and then ran over to hug him.

Hiei had his eyes closed and didn't realized Kiyoshi was coming at him so he, again, was knocked down to the floor. "Thank you, daddy," Kiyoshi said in a whisper while hugging Hiei. A smile appeared on Hiei's face, not a faint one, but a real smile as he saw how happy Kiyoshi was.

Genkai finally came out from where she was hiding and everyone worked together to decorate in the yard outside the back of the temple. Kiyoshi was in awe by all of the decorations and balloons and just kept running around to watch his aunts, uncles, and father preparing for the party. Hiei was lifting something up to Kurama when he felt someone tug on his cloak. He looked down to see Kiyoshi smiling at him.

"Do you need something?" Hiei asked gently.

Kiyoshi grabbed onto his leg and hugged him tightly. "I love you, daddy," he replied. Hiei's eyes softened as he sat down and picked Kiyoshi up onto his lap as he hugged him back. Hiei never called Kiyoshi his son, nor did he ever say he loved the kid, but hearing Kiyoshi say those words touched Hiei deeply and even though he couldn't say it, Hiei knew that he loved Kiyoshi too.

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><p>Everyone started heading home after the sun started to set. Hiei and Kiyoshi sat outside in a tree together to watch the sky change colors until Kiyoshi fell asleep. Hiei brought him into the temple and put out two mats, one for him and for Kiyoshi, to sleep on. After laying Kiyoshi down on one mat, Hiei put the other one down next to him and nestled close to the little fire demon who melted his frozen heart. Kurama walked in on the pair sleeping comfortably and smiled, going out into the yard again to start cleaning a little from the party when he heard something.<p>

He froze briefly and then relaxed as the feeling that someone was watching him had passed. The sound of a snapping twig forced him to turn around. He saw a young, brown-haired girl whose energy was clearly demonic staring at him with sad, green eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked the girl, trying not to sound cold as she was clearly upset about something.

"I-I came her looking for someone," she said with a hesitant voice. "I was hoping I would be able to find him here."

Kurama's eyes narrowed slightly at this demon girl to analyze her expression. He didn't detect a lie in anything she said, but he still didn't let his guard down.

"Who are you looking for?" he asked forcefully.

"A man who knew my mother," she said, choking back on a few tears.

He relaxed again, seeing as this girl was being honest and he deemed her as not a threat. "Who is you mother?" he asked softly.

"Julia," she said, falling to the ground and sobbing. "Her name was Julia."

Kurama's eyes widened as he realized who this girl was looking for. He thought back to a time long ago when he was Youko, the legendary King of Thieves. Thinking back to one of the villages where he had laid low after a raid, he thought back to the demon he had fallen in love with. Of course with his career, he couldn't be with her and he eventually had to leave the village. Then something else hit him. The girl said "was" and was clearly upset meaning that something probably happened to her mother.

Kurama walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder as he knelt down beside her. "What happened to her?" he asked quietly.

"W-we were, we were travelling; we were trying to find the person I'm looking for now, but we heard he was no longer in Demon World. Rumors had it that he escaped to Human World so we found a dimensional hole and were about to enter it when we were attacked by a group of demons. They were bandits from the town where we were asking about her friend and they jumped us after we left. My mother told me to go through the portal and that she would follow, but if she didn't come in five minutes, to carry on with…without her," she explained while still crying. "I felt her energy disappear after a few minutes so I knew that they had…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words. Kurama brought her in for a hug in attempts to comfort this girl her didn't know. He couldn't imagine the thought of losing his own mother so he couldn't even imagine how this girl was feeling.

"What about your father?" he asked. "Surely he would not have let both of you travel the Makai alone."

Her tears kept falling, but she could finally speak normally. "That's who we were looking for," she whispered as Kurama's eyes widened again. He looked back down at the girl he was holding with the realization that she was his daughter.


	3. Chapter 3 Confessions

Disclaimer: Okay, who here owns YYH? *looks around* Well, it's not me.

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><p>Kurama sat at a table in the small kitchen Genkai had, hands to his head in contemplation. He didn't sleep at all during the previous night, which Shuichi's body didn't take very well. He was waiting for a pot of coffee to finish; he needed the caffeine. It was bright and sunny out at seven o'clock in the morning as Kurama was thinking about the events on the previous night. A young girl had come looking for him; he was her father and her mother had died while searching for him. The amount of guilt he felt for causing her death was immeasurable. He had recently begun to resent his life as a legendary thief, but now there was no doubt. He abandoned Julia and now she was gone, leaving behind a child, his child. His thoughts were interrupted as that said daughter entered to the room while yawning and rubbing her eyes.<p>

It took her a while to remember where she was and when she saw Kurama, it took her a while to recognize him. After waking up more, she remembered falling asleep in this stranger's arms last night after crying about her mother. When she had woken up, she had found herself on a mat covered with a blanket in one of the rooms of the temple.

"Good morning," she said, bowing to Kurama.

He eyed her for a short time and then responded to her greeting with a nod. By this time, the coffee was done and he went over to pour himself a cup. He turned to the girl.

"Would you like some?" he asked.

The girl looked at the black liquid and then back at Kurama. "What is it?" she asked. Kurama smiled and chuckled at her response and instead of pouring her a cup, he decided to put the kettle on to make her a cup of herbal tea. Then he sat down and motioned for the girl to sit in the chair next to him.

"We need to talk," he said.

The young girl looked into Kurama's eyes and nodded. She took the seat and they sat in silence until one of them was brave enough to talk.

"So I take it that you know my father," she said, finally breaking the silence.

Kurama nodded. "Yes, we are quite...close. May I ask you your name?"

The girl hesitated. "M-maybe you should tell me your name first."

Kurama realized how nervous she was, but he didn't want to reveal who he was until he was completely sure that she was looking for him. "I believe I asked you first," he said in a voice which most people would take for cold; however, the girl could tell that his voice was more guarded than cold.

"I…My name is Ayame," she said hesitantly.

Kurama smiled. "She would name you that," he said calmly.

"Huh?" Ayame looked at Kurama with a confused expression.

"Your mother," he began, "her favorite flowers were irises."

Ayame's eyes widened. "H-how do you know that?" she asked, tears ready to pour from her eyes at the mention of her mother.

Kurama looked up at her and took one of her hands. Her eyes widened as he transformed into the spirit fox, Youko Kurama. "I believe I am the one you are looking for."

They sat in silence for a few moments with him still holding her hand before he transformed back into Shuichi. He noticed the tears in Ayame's eyes right before she got up and hugged him, starting to cry again. He tried to calm her down, but it didn't help; she just cried harder as he rubbed her head.

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><p>A few months past and summer turned into fall. Kurama had told Ayame what had happened to him and why he was in Human World, and she understood. She knew he felt guilty for what happened to her mother, but she explained to him that it wasn't his fault. Julia had known she was pregnant way before Kurama had left, but she kept it from him so that he wouldn't feel tied down to her.<p>

"I would have stayed…" he said. "I hope you know that."

Ayame took his hand and squeezed it. "I know that and I hold nothing against you."

"Why did you come looking for me now and not earlier? How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm three-hundred and three years old," she answered, "and we hadn't come earlier because I wasn't strong enough to travel in the Makai. Mother waited until I could control my powers."

"What are your powers?" Kurama asked as he felt something brush against his back. He turned around to see his potted plant growing.

"She said I got my powers from you," Ayame said smiling. Kurama smiled back as he took his hand back and turned to finish the rest of his homework. Ayame did the same.

Ayame was told about his life as Shuichi and knew she couldn't meet Shiori anytime soon and, even though she was disappointed, she understood. She stayed at the temple and Kurama came to get her every morning for school. He had registered her in school as Ayame Minamino, using his salary from the flower shop to pay for her tuition under his parents' noses. The story while they were at school was they were cousins, this way his fan club wouldn't think they were a couple and the boys would understand that he was protective of her. They were both registered there for their "last" year of high school (technically her first).

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><p>Meanwhile, Hiei was working the shop while Kurama was at his school. Hiei had dropped Kiyoshi off at the bus stop, something that was now routine for him, and watched until the bus was out of his sight. Kiyoshi was in "pre-K," as the humans called it. Hiei thought that it was pointless to send Kiyoshi to school, but they were living in the Human World now and that's what humans did. He felt it was better if Kiyoshi was able to live a somewhat normal life rather than the life he had led as a child. Kiyoshi deserved better than that and Hiei, as his guardian, wanted him to have that life he himself could never have.<p>

Kurama's step-father showed up to take the next shift so that Hiei could go pick Kiyoshi up from the bus stop. He greeted Hiei who just nodded as he left the flower shop. As he waited for the bus to come he sat down on a patch of grass and looked up at the sky deep in thought. Kiyoshi was growing up quickly and Hiei was contemplating what age he should tell Kiyoshi about both of their pasts. He didn't want Kiyoshi to be burdened with the truth, but since he had started school, he had started asking questions.

One thing he asked about was that his classmates all had two parents, a mother and a father, so he asked about his mother. In all honesty, Hiei had no information about his mother or his real father for that matter. Rui had brought Kiyoshi to him to protect him from the sexist government they were a part of. Another thing Kiyoshi had inquired about was his past. Other classmates had many stories to tell about their parents and where their parents met, sometimes mentioning school names (that really meant nothing to the children other than a location). Kiyoshi asked Hiei about his past and where he grew up. Kiyoshi knew about the Makai, but not much about how cruel a place it was for children. Hiei would just brush off the questions by changing the subject and Kiyoshi would let it go, but it was only a matter of time before he would get fed up with the silent treatment.

The bus arrived snapping Hiei out of his thoughts as he stood up to go meet his son. Hiei froze a moment as this was the first time he recognized Kiyoshi as his son. He then felt someone knock into him as he looked down to see Kiyoshi burying his face in his shirt. Hiei smiled and rubbed his head. Then he took his hand and they started walking back to the Minamino household.

"So how was school?" Hiei asked Kiyoshi as they were walking up the porch stair to the door.

"It was so much fun, daddy," Kiyoshi answered. "We made forts with big colored bricks and we had to choose sides and we had a paper fight. The teacher wasn't happy, though."

"A paper fight, huh?" Hiei inquired. "Who started it?"

"I did!" Kiyoshi said happily. "We all had a lot of fun. We took sheets of paper and crumpled them up and threw them like snow balls."

Hiei found this somewhat entertaining as he pictured their teacher, whom he had met on the first day, trying to settle down a classroom full of four year olds throwing paper. _I guess that's what happens when you send a demon to school, _Hiei laughed silently to himself.

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><p>They entered the house and saw Kurama and Ayame sitting at the dining room table. Kiyoshi ran over to Ayame and gave her a hug as she smiled at put him on her lap.<p>

"How's my favorite cousin?" she asked.

"I started a paper fight today," he said beaming with innocence.

Kurama, Ayame, and even Hiei laughed at the thought of a paper fight.

"Ayame, what are you doing here?" Hiei asked when he was finished laughing. He then looked at Kurama. "I thought you weren't telling Shiori."

"I'm not," Kurama said. "My step-brother has a martial arts tournament today and it won't be finished until later tonight. I will bring Ayame home to Genkai's before they return."

Hiei simply nodded and then looked over at Kiyoshi who was telling Ayame the details about the paper fight. Kurama decided to fix a snack for everyone and then he and Ayame went to go work on their homework. Kiyoshi was tired so Hiei carried him upstairs to their room and laid him down on the bed. Hiei got into the bed next to him and he covered them with a blanket as Kiyoshi snuggled closer to him. Hiei kissed Kiyoshi on his forehead and was about to fall asleep when he heard Kiyoshi's innocent voice.

"Daddy?" he said with his eyes closed.

"Yes?" Hiei responded.

"Can you…can you please tell me about my Mommy? Please daddy?"

Hiei looked at Kiyoshi and it tore at his heart (or core) as he saw Kiyoshi starting to cry. This was the first time he had ever seen his son in pain and he didn't like how it felt.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I can't tell you anything about your mother." He answered honestly, but he knew Kiyoshi would want more.

"Why?" Kiyoshi asked. "Is it because she left us?" Hiei was shocked to hear two things: one, that Kiyoshi thought his mother left him which was only half true, and two, that Kiyoshi thought that his mother left Hiei when he never had anything to do with her.

"No, Kiyoshi," Hiei said running his hand through his hair. "Your mother didn't leave us."

Kiyoshi finally opened his tear stained eyes and looked up at Hiei. "But…but she's not here. Where is she?" he asked somewhat forcefully. He really wanted to know.

Hiei knew that he couldn't keep the truth from him for much longer so he sat up, then took Kiyoshi into his lap and hugged him tightly as he started to tell Kiyoshi the story of the day that he was brought to him by Rui and why he took him in. Kiyoshi didn't understand why he had to be taken away from his mother. Hiei tried to explain, but he couldn't; he couldn't tell this happy little boy that the people from their own homeland feared them or that they ordered Rui to kill either of them. Finally Hiei admitted to Kiyoshi that he didn't understand it either.

Kiyoshi turned around and looked at Hiei with even more tears in his eyes than there were before. Hiei felt something tug at his soul even more as he realized what it meant for a parent to be affected by their child's emotions. He knew Kiyoshi was realizing that Hiei wasn't his real father and he was probably trying to see if he could find any similarities between them to try and pretend that this wasn't true. Kiyoshi burst out into more tears as he grasped tightly onto Hiei.

"I…I still want you to be my daddy," Kiyoshi said with more tears falling onto Hiei's arms. "I don't want you to leave me. I love you."

Hiei held Kiyoshi back slightly so that he was looking him in the eye. "I won't leave you. I am your father and you are my son and nothing will change that. I love you too much to leave you." Hiei then took Kiyoshi into his arms and lied with him as the boy cried himself to sleep. Hiei had finally told someone that he loved them and he finally realized why the humans treasured their relationships so much. Even if right now it was painful as both Forbidden Children were hurting inside, Hiei knew that it would pass and both of them could be so happy. Kiyoshi had brought joy to Hiei's life and he had also touched all of those around him.


	4. Chapter 4 Being Selfless

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or its *blah blah blah* Oh, sorry for droning on. You know the drill. I only own my OC's Kiyoshi and Ayame

* * *

><p>Three months had passed since the day Hiei told Kiyoshi the truth about where he came from. After that day, what Hiei was worried about what was happening. Kiyoshi was nowhere near as bad as Hiei was, but he was starting to keep his emotions secret; and instead of masking his pain by pretending not to care like Hiei, he masked his pain by pretending nothing was bothering him. However, Hiei knew he was still hurting. The boy's pain only went unnoticed by a few people, like Kurama's parents and brother, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Botan, Yukina, and Keiko, only because Kiyoshi hid it very well.<p>

Yusuke, Kurama, Ayame, and Genkai were not easily fooled as they could feel a dark aura around Kiyoshi a majority of the time. Yusuke suggested that Hiei take Kiyoshi to counseling or something. Hiei just glared at Yusuke any time he mentioned it. What would Kiyoshi say to a therapist? Hiei was sure the conversation would go like, "I'm a fire demon born to a race of ice maidens that don't like men and they abandoned me." Yeah, that would go over well.

Kurama had another suggestion. Kiyoshi seemed to be keeping to himself like Hiei normally did, so Kurama suggested that Hiei try and talk to Kiyoshi and ask him how he feels and maybe talk about how he (Hiei) feels too. Hiei glanced over at Kurama with a reluctant expression, but he knew it was probably best for Kiyoshi for him to just swallow his pride and open up for once.

* * *

><p>Kurama couldn't really give him any more advice than that; he had his own problems with his daughter. Ayame already acted like an adult and she didn't want to be treated like a child, which is what she was in Kurama's eyes. He was not only five times older than her, but he was her father and didn't get a chance to experience much in her life. He tried to talk to her, but their conversations would usually end in awkward silences. He was at a loss of how to handle their relationship. Luckily for him, he had the girls to give him advice.<p>

Shizuru, Keiko, and Botan tried to explain girls to Kurama. They said that Ayame was just having trouble adjusting to no longer having a female figure in her life. It had nothing to do with Kurama personally as it was evident that she loved him, but he wasn't her mother and she was struggling to deal with that female influence being taken out of her life. The girls offered to take Ayame out every so often for a "girls' day out" and take her to the mall and talk to her.

Kurama agreed, but he knew that Ayame needed more. She needed a female figure in her daily life, not just ever once in a while and he knew that the only way she would get that would be if he told his mother the truth. Kurama thought about how he would even start to explain things to his mother, hoping she would accept him and his daughter. This was going to be a difficult break.

* * *

><p>"So what are you going to do?" Hiei asked Kurama.<p>

"I don't know, Hiei," Kurama answered. "What's best for Ayame is if I tell my mother the truth about me. I can't think about what I want right now, but what's in her best interest." He looked over at Hiei and asked, "What about you?"

Hiei flinched at his question and hesitated in answering. "I don't know if I can bring myself to talk about anything I felt back then."

Kurama narrowed his eyes at Hiei. "Felt?"

Kurama knew very well that Hiei had never gotten over what happened to him as a child, but he never pressed the issue until now since Kiyoshi was now dealing with inner turmoil.

"Fine, feel," Hiei relinquished.

"You just have to get over your pride and do what's best for him. If you use your experiences as a guide, you can help him deal with this."

Hiei looked away from Kurama. When did the two of them become so selfless? Both of them lived dangerous lives and didn't care for too many people, or in Hiei's case absolutely no one until he learned about Yukina. Kurama tried to have one of his partners killed and was a ruthless killer, now contemplating doing something he dreaded for his daughter to be happy. Hiei enjoyed the sight of blood from a young age and killed everything in sight and at one time wanted revenge on the entire ice village he was cast away from, now getting ready to admit his inner turmoil and fears that he had buried deep within himself, just so that he could help his son cope. They had both changed.

* * *

><p>"So what are you guys doing for break?" Yusuke asked his friends as he was preparing to leave Genkai's.<p>

"I'm not sure yet," Kurama said, "but it will definitely be an eventful break."

"What about you, Hiei?" Keiko asked.

Hiei just shrugged and left his friends at the doorway as he went in search for Kiyoshi. He found Kiyoshi sitting in a tree staring at the sky with a slight frown on his face. Hiei knew that look well as he thought of his usual scowl that he would use to block his sadness. Kiyoshi was lost in thought (surprising for a four year old) and didn't notice Hiei jumping into the tree. He only knew Hiei was there when Hiei hugged him. Kiyoshi smiled and hugged Hiei back.

"Hi, daddy," he said quietly.

"Hey," Hiei smiled as he noticed the smile on Kiyoshi's face. "Do you want to stay here tonight? Kurama has some things he needs to take care of at home."

"Okay, daddy," Kiyoshi replied.

Hiei got the two of them down from the tree and they made their way into the temple. Hiei ran into Kurama and told him that he and Kiyoshi were going to stay there tonight and also wished him luck.

Kurama thanked Hiei and then went to find Ayame. He found her staring out the window of her room in the temple off into space.

"Goodnight," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Ayame snapped out of her trance and looked up at her father. She gave him a faint smile.

"Goodnight," she said. She went back to staring out the window, after he left, thinking about her mother; she missed her terribly.

Kurama went to the room where Hiei and Kiyoshi were staying. Kiyoshi was already lying down on a mat. Hiei walked over to talk to Kurama.

"Do me a favor?" Kurama somewhat begged his friend.

"Depends," Hiei replied.

Kurama looked back towards Ayame's room so Hiei realized it was about her. "Please check on her later to make sure she falls asleep. She seemed to be in a trance when I went in there and I'm worried."

Hiei nodded as he looked down at Kiyoshi. "Any idea when it'll get easier?" Hiei asked Kurama.

"I don't think it does," Kurama said forlornly with a faint smile. "Goodnight, Hiei."

Hiei closed the door to the room, went over to where Kiyoshi was asleep, and lied down next to him. Kiyoshi turned in his sleep and ended up using Hiei as a pillow. Hiei looked at the boy sleeping peacefully and re-adjusted himself so that he was lying flat on his back with his hands acting as a pillow. He stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Shuichi?" Shiori called out as she heard the front door open.<p>

"Yes, mother," was all she heard.

"You're home late," she said. "Where are Hiei and Kiyoshi?"

"They decided to stay over our friend's house tonight. Actually, there something I wanted to talk to you about."

Shiori motioned for her son to sit down at the dining room table. She was smiling until she saw the look in his eyes. A mother could always tell when something was bothering her son and Shiori was no exception. "Shuichi, what's wrong?"

Kurama thought about where to start, so he decided to start by revealing his power. He held his hand to the potted plant on the dining room table and forced the plant to grow. Shiori's eyes grew wide as she heard her son's voice tell a pretty unbelievable story. He told her about all of it: the stealing, the killing, the betrayals, and then about what he thought was the only good thing about his past, Julia and Ayame. He then transformed to show her who he really was, still not looking at her. He hadn't been able to look at her since he got home.

"This is my true form," he said reluctantly. He dared himself to look at her and was upset to see his mother with an almost panicked look on her face. He allowed himself to go back to Shuichi's form and just stared at his mother. Shiori smiled which took him by surprise.

"If you thought I would be scared, I'm afraid that you were wrong," Shiori said to him. "You are my son and yes, this took me by surprise, but I don't love you any less. I just want to know why you decided to tell me now."

Kurama returned him mother's smile with a smile of relief. "I did it for Ayame. One part I left out was that her mother died when they came to look for me. She's not doing well. She is grieving for the loss of her mother, but she is distancing herself from me and refuses to talk to me. I had spoken to the girls about the problems we've been having and they suggested that it might have something to do with the fact that she went from having a female figure in her life and now she doesn't. I can't bear to see her like that anymore and I can no longer bear leaving her at Genkai's alone. I was hoping that she would be welcomed."

Shiori smiled and nodded, "Of course she's welcomed. She's family. It is a good thing we've been working on changing the office downstairs into another guest room, huh?" She winked at him and sent him off to bed. Kurama entered his room and climbed into bed. Part of this just seemed like a dream to him, but it was real. His mother accepted the truth, and he and his daughter would always be welcomed. He couldn't wait to pick her up from Genkai's the next day.

* * *

><p>Hiei had woken up and went to go check on Ayame like he promised he would. She was still awake and it was already four in the morning. She was still staring at the sky and didn't even notice him enter her room. She gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and relaxed when she saw it was only Hiei.<p>

"You okay?" he asked.

Ayame nodded. "Fine," she said.

Hiei raised an eyebrow and pressed the issue. "You don't seem fine," he said quietly. "Tell me what's wrong."

She shook her head and then quietly muttered something about missing her mother. She looked at Hiei and asked him if he ever missed his mother.

"I never knew my mother," he said. "I didn't know my father either."

"Why?" Ayame asked. She didn't know about his past as Kurama had never told her.

Hiei gave a brief explanation and Ayame just stared blankly at him and then turned away saying, "Oh."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Hiei got ready to leave the room. "Go to sleep," he ordered. "Your father is worried about you." He left shutting the door behind him and returning to Kiyoshi.

Hiei shut the door and went back down to the mats. He hadn't yet realized Kiyoshi had woken up and was watching him.

"Daddy?" Hiei heard him whisper.

"Mm-hm," Hiei acknowledged that he was being spoken to.

"Are you sad?" Hiei shot up at the strange question as he leaned back against the wall. He motioned for Kiyoshi to come sit next to him.

"Sometimes," Hiei reluctantly answered about five minutes after the question had been asked. He looked down at Kiyoshi, hoping his answer was sufficient enough for the four year old; it wasn't. Hiei let out a deep sigh and continued. "I used to be more than I am now, but sometimes I'm still sad. Right now I'm not really sad about me anymore, but more because you are sad."

That answer was more acceptable for Kiyoshi. "Did you ever go back?" Kiyoshi asked as he laid his head against Hiei's arm.

"Yes," he replied. "That's when I met the woman who gave you to me for protection. She begged me to kill her, but out of pity, I let her live. To me, those maidens were already dead, living in fear as they saw me walking into the village."

Kiyoshi closed his eyes. "I want to go," he whispered. "Can you please take me?" Kiyoshi grabbed his hiruiseki stone while waiting for Hiei's answer.

Hiei let out another heavy sigh. He didn't like the idea of going back to the Glacial Lands, but he knew Kiyoshi needed some type of closure like he had years before. He reluctantly answered, "Yes," and Kiyoshi smiled.

Hiei thought they were done with talking so he moved back to his mat and closed his eyes. Kiyoshi followed and then asked him if he could tell him about his past. Hiei tensed up as he didn't really want to reveal his life to someone who was so young. "When you're older," he answered covering himself with a blanket. Kiyoshi accepted the answer and pulled a blanket onto himself.


	5. Chapter 5 Reminiscing

Disclaimer: See the other chapters. They pretty much say the same thing.

* * *

><p>The next day marked the start of two new journeys: Kurama bringing Ayame into his home and Hiei taking Kiyoshi to their homeland. Kurama walked into Genkai's temple and ran into Hiei who was making breakfast for Kiyoshi in the kitchen. Kurama had a huge smile on his face.<p>

"I take it went well?" Hiei inquired. Kurama nodded.

"My mother said that they have been working on turning one of the offices downstairs into a guest room so she can stay there from now on," he explained. Hiei let out a faint smile. "So, have you talked to Kiyoshi?" Kurama asked.

Hiei nodded. "Yes, briefly," he answered. "I didn't want to tell him too much since he's so young and hasn't seen the things I have."

Kurama nodded. "That makes sense," he agreed. "So what are your plans?"

Hiei stopped cooking and turned to look at Kurama with an expressionless face. "He wants to go to the Glacial Lands," Hiei explained.

This surprised Kurama. He couldn't imagine Kiyoshi wanting to go there so soon. His thoughts were interrupted by Hiei. "I figure we'll go home and pack a few things. We have this week and then I'll send his teacher a note saying that we got held up where we were for break if we stay any longer, although I pray we don't."

Hiei went back to cooking and Kurama sat down at the table and waited for Ayame to wake up. The two friends sat in silence as there was nothing more to say. Kiyoshi woke up first and came into the kitchen following the smell of food. He smiled when he saw Hiei cooking breakfast, happily ran over to the table, and sat down. Hiei sensed Kiyoshi's happiness and smiled. Kiyoshi was starting to act like his normal, happy self again.

Shortly after Kiyoshi had woken up, Ayame had. She came into the kitchen and saw Kiyoshi happily talking with her dad and Hiei cooking breakfast.

"Would you like some, too?" Hiei asked. "I made plenty." He only knew how to cook simple breakfast foods, like eggs and toast.

Ayame smiled and nodded. "Yes, thank you," she said softly. She went over to the table and sat next to her dad as Hiei served everyone breakfast.

"I have some news for you," Kurama said looking at Ayame.

She looked up at him, and Kiyoshi looked over to him. "What is it?" she asked.

"I told my mother everything," Kurama said with a faint smile. "You don't have to hide out here anymore. They are preparing a room for you which may take some time, but until they do, you can stay in my room and I'll either stay with Shuuichi or on the couch."

Ayame looked over at him, her eyes wide. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find the words. Instead she hugged him tightly and just said a quiet, "Thank you." Kurama smiled at his daughter and started to rub her head. He released her from the hug and they ate there breakfast in silence. Kiyoshi broke the silence.

"Uncle Kurama, Ayame," he called for their attention. "Daddy is going to take me to the Glacial Lands this week."

"I heard," Kurama said, forcing a faint smile.

Ayame tilted her head in confusion. "I thought they were an all-female race. Why would you be going there?"

Hiei looked at Kurama and Kurama nodded. "Remember when I told you that I never knew my parents?" Hiei asked, eyeing Ayame.

"Y-yeah?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, my mother was an ice apparition and the only thing I know of my father was that he was a fire youkai. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks," Hiei said as he looked away from the group.

Everyone was silent again until Kiyoshi broke that silence. "But it's okay because we have each other, right daddy?"

The boy still had his innocence and cheer which caused Hiei to smile. "Yeah," he said, realizing that this trip might be good for him too.

"So what time are you two planning on leaving?" Kurama asked Hiei.

"Like I said, we need to pack a few things from the house, including some provisions."

Kurama nodded. "Just so you know, I told mother about you two as well."

Hiei glared at him. "And why did you do that?"

Kurama shrugged. "I felt it was better not to hide anything from her. I told her not to say anything."

"Hn."

Kurama sighed. "Well, should we get going then?"

The other three nodded and both Kiyoshi and Ayame had smiles on their faces. Noticing this, Hiei and Kurama felt a little better. Sure, they took a big step out of their comfort zones, but if it made the kids happy, then it was worth it. Such is the sacrifice a parent makes for their child.

* * *

><p>Once back at the Minamino household, Ayame was introduced to the family and was welcomed into her new home. Hiei snuck himself and Kiyoshi up the stairs to their room to begin packing for their journey. He instructed Kiyoshi to only pack the necessities and, since they would be in the Makai, to keep the hiruiseki stone hidden like he did. Hiei understood that the boy would not want to leave it, but they didn't need a ton of demon thieves going after them. His plan was to get to the Glacial Lands, bring Kiyoshi to see Rui, see if they could find his mother, and then leave.<p>

Hiei and Kiyoshi returned downstairs while Ayame was shown her new room, or the start of it. The room still needed a bed, but as Kurama had said, she would be staying in his room until they got a bed for her room. Shiori was planning on taking her shopping for a bed that weekend as well as clothes shopping. Ayame agreed to the plans, much to Kurama's pleasure. This had been the first time he had seen Ayame smile in a while and it made him relax a little.

Kurama's step-father entered the kitchen to see Hiei packing some nonperishable foods and water in both his and Kiyoshi's backpacks.

"Are you going somewhere?" Hatanaka asked.

"Last minute trip. We may be gone a week or two. I left a note with…Shuichi…in case we aren't back within a week, for Kiyoshi's teacher. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to work this week." His voice seemed indifferent and he had no tone that indicated regret about bailing on work, but Hatanaka didn't mind.

"I understand. Have a safe trip you two," he said as he left the kitchen.

When Hiei and Kiyoshi left the kitchen, they saw Shiori and Ayame talking over on the couch. Kiyoshi ran over to hug both of them goodbye. Kurama's step-brother was upstairs in his own room. Kurama had just come down from his room. He stopped in front of the two fire youkai and received a hug from Kiyoshi.

"Good luck to you," he said.

Hiei said, "Hn" while Kiyoshi said, "Thank you, Uncle Kurama."

"Safe journey," Kurama said, hugging the boy back, but looking up at Hiei with a silent warning in his eyes.

The plains of Demon World were filled with danger that both the ex-thieves knew all too well. Hiei nodded and grabbed his katana; he would never go anywhere without his sword. After double-checking that he and Kiyoshi had everything, they left.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Hiei and Kiyoshi had stopped their journey so that the boy could sleep. They had been travelling for hours and Kiyoshi was exhausted. Hiei found an area with many trees and, taking Kiyoshi in his arms, he jumped up into one. It was safer to sleep in a tree than on the ground in the Makai. Neither of them had eaten anything, trying to stretch out the minimal rations they had. Besides, neither of them had been hungry. Kiyoshi was excited but also nervous, and Hiei was just dreading the return to the village that cast both boys out.<p>

Hiei thought back to the day he was cast out. The memory was as clear as day for him, but that left him to wonder why Kiyoshi didn't have any memories of their homeland or the koorime. After allowing the memories to play themselves over again in his mind, Hiei shook his head to snap himself out of it. He, once again, hid the pain of the past by getting angry.

_How could they?_ he thought. How could they, indeed. Their reasoning for casting the two "Forbidden Children" out was that they were male: horrible, evil, and corrupt. Hiei never at any one time said that he was a good guy. In fact, when his friends said he was a hero, a good father, or anything remotely close to a compliment, he would scoff and then think about the reasons they were lies. He was a criminal; he met his friends because he was trying to kill them (Yusuke), or partner with them to steal and kill (Kurama). In truth, Hiei allowed himself to become a killer, so that he himself could justify the fear the koorime had.

He then looked down at Kiyoshi. Yes, Hiei was a criminal and everything the koorime feared, but what about Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi was a happy child (well, until he found out about being abandoned, but at least now he was feeling better). He never did anything bad except for starting a paper fight in school which was also innocent. Hiei and Kurama were not training Kiyoshi to become a thief or a murderer; no one wanted him to learn any of those skills. He didn't need them anyway, especially growing up in the human world. Hiei didn't want Kiyoshi to live the life he did, a life filled with nothing but the desire for blood and death…an empty life.

Yes, Hiei felt that his life was empty. He had tried to end his life years earlier in a fight with the surgeon who implanted the Jagan. Hiei never wanted to be saved by Mukuro and secretly cursed her for helping him to live. Well, at least he _did_. Now he was actually thankful for that save. If she hadn't healed him, he wouldn't have been here for Kiyoshi, and Rui would have probably had to kill him.

Hiei shook that thought out of his head too. _I need to stop this, _he thought to himself. _I need to be the one on alert right now to make sure we don't get attacked. I'm not supposed to be soliloquizing. Wait…what did I just say…think? Grrrr, I've been spending way too much time with Kurama._

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest, but he still stayed on alert. Surprisingly, it was a peaceful night, very rare for being in the Makai, though more common since the tournament. The only thing to shake him awake was Kiyoshi stirring in his sleep, most likely from not being completely used to sleeping in trees.

* * *

><p>Kurama decided his best choice was to stay in the living room instead of in his step-brother, Shuuichi's, room. He had brought down his school books as well as a few other books. He was currently reading a book of poetry, and each poem he read made him think about Julia.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"I think we lost those bounty hunters, friend," Kuronue said to his partner.<em>

_There was a sigh. "I suppose you're right, Kuronue," he said, "but we shouldn't stay in one place for too long or we'll be sitting ducks."_

_Kuronue pointed down the side of the mountain. "Why don't we stay in that small village for a while? We can get some supplies from the villagers and maybe sell some of the treasures from our last raid."_

_"I'm not sure," Youko said hesitantly. "It would be a huge risk. Especially if someone recognizes us."_

_"It's a village in the middle of nowhere and the next village isn't close by. Besides, what's life without a little risk, right Youko?" Kuronue teased._

_"I guess it couldn't hurt."_

…

_Youko and Kuronue managed to "gather" a few goods for their trip, and of course no one noticed. The two decided to split up and meet at the edge of town to decide their next move an hour later. Youko ended up near a few of the lower class houses of the village and entered one where the door was opened to visitors. He reasoned there was nothing worth stealing in there. Once he entered, he was about to leave, but his ears perked up._

_A young woman stood staring at the silver-haired kitsune with a near emotionless expression._

_"May I help you?" she asked soothingly._

_Youko felt as if he were in a trance at the sound of her voice, but quickly snapped out of it. "I don't believe so."_

_"You are looking for something." It was a statement, not a question._

_"What would I be looking for?" he asked chuckling. Her statement amused him. He was a thief; he had it all._

_"How about this, Youko," she said taking out what seemed to be a rare pendant._

_He smirked mischievously. "So you've heard of me?"_

_"Maybe," she said. "So do you want this?"_

_His eyes narrowed. What was this girl up to? She obviously knew his reputation, so why reveal a potentially rare treasure and then offer it to him._

_Almost reading his thought, she answered his unspoken question. "This pendant has magical abilities that, when used correctly, reveals the true desire of the wearer. These are the types of treasures you seek, correct? Besides, I have no use for it and I'm sure someone like you could use this. Do you ever wish you could change your life or lead a less lonely one?"_

_Youko pondered the girl's logic. "Perhaps, but power and strength are the only things that matter here in the Makai. You should know that."_

_She nodded. "I do, but a life based solely on power is empty. Like I said, you need this more than I do." She walked over to him and took his hand, placing the pendant in his palm and closing his fingers over it._

_He stared at her shocked. This woman was not afraid of him at all, even though she obviously knew of him. She piqued his interest. "What is your name?" he asked the seemingly random question._

_"Julia."_

* * *

><p>"Dad?" Kurama was called out of his thoughts.<p>

"Yes, Ayame?" he responded to his daughter.

"I couldn't sleep," she said looking embarrassed. "Can I sit here with you for a while?"

He closed his book and put it on the lamp table next to him and motioned for her to sit next to him. She went over to him and put her head on his shoulder. He looked at her face, but her expression was like it was the other night when he left her at Genkai's. Kurama wondered what was going through his daughter's head. Obviously, it was about her mother, but what? Surely she should be coping better than this, like she had been the first few weeks she had been there. Kurama wondered if there was something else going on, but he decided to let it slide for now. Eventually Ayame fell asleep and Kurama got up and laid her down on the couch, covering her with a blanket. He went over to the other couch and picked his book back up. He didn't feel like sleeping right now.


	6. Chapter 6 Unforgotten Memories

Disclaimer: If I hadn't said it before a thousand times, I will say it again...oh great, I haven't said it a thousand times yet; I have to say it again. *sigh* Okay, time to bite the bullet...I do not own YYH or the characters. I just own my OC's, Kiyoshi and Ayame and this really depressing plot. By the way, it gets a lot worse before it gets better. But it will get better.

* * *

><p><em>"I hear Hina had twins, a boy and a girl." Whispers were circulating amongst the koorime.<em>

_"But that's impossible…however, that girl always did get herself into trouble."_

_"I heard the boy will be banished within the week."_

_"Thank goodness for that."_

…

_"Please," a young ice maiden begged. "Please do not punish my son. It was my crime, not his. I will leave. I will take my children away from this place. Just please don't take my son away from me."_

_"He is a Forbidden Child, Hina. This is your punishment as much as his. His crime is more vile than yours. His crime is existing. And Rui, your punishment for allowing this to happen is that you will be the one to cast him from the village."_

_Both Hina and Rui looked at each other; Rui was panicked and Hina was devastated. The elder left the two women alone with the child that was going to be left to die. Rui tried to comfort Hina to the best of her abilities. It was really Rui's fault, or at least, that how Rui saw it. She had allowed Hina to sneak out of the village for a few days. The isolation was getting to the young ice maiden. However, Rui never imagined that the girl would end up mating with a fire demon after she left._

_Hina clutched the baby and cried, her tears turning to crystals. She was told not to make it harder for herself by actually holding the baby, so she had to fight herself from naming him and telling him that she loved him. The baby just stared at the two women while all of this was happening. Who knew that he was actually aware of what was going on?_

* * *

><p>Hiei opened his eyes, awaking from his pensive dream. Who knew that if you didn't allow yourself to fall asleep that any type of dream actually felt like it was happening? He knew that his dream was a memory, a memory he thought he had pushed away for good.<p>

The sun was up and he thought it would be best if they kept moving. He knew Kiyoshi wanted to be there before the holiday humans called Christmas, which would be coming up in the equivalent of two human days.

Hiei gently shook Kiyoshi awake. He whispered softly, "We need to keep moving."

Kiyoshi rubbed his eyes and yawned and then looked up at Hiei and smiled. "I'm awake," he said innocently.

Hiei jumped them both down from the tree and they kept moving. Hiei knew where they were going thanks to the Jagan. The only problem was that the route they were taking would possibly lead through some towns where thieves resided and there was no way around them. Hiei looked down at the boy walking next to him, wondering if he would be able to handle himself in a fight with a higher level demon. The answer was no. That didn't really matter to Hiei because he would be able to handle anyone that tried to attack them, but he still didn't want Kiyoshi exposed to that while he was still so young. He just hoped the other demons knew better than to mess with him.

* * *

><p>"So what do you think of this one?" Shiori asked, holding a pale purple dress up to Ayame. "It looks like it would fit you. Would you like to try it on?"<p>

"Um, sure?" Ayame said hesitantly. She didn't really understand human customs; however, she was happy to be spending time with her sort-of grandmother. She still couldn't call her that yet.

Ayame went into the changing room with a few outfits and dresses. The styles were different but she found that she like floral colors, probably since both she and her father could control plants. She showed Shiori the first few outfits and started to enjoy spending time with this person who seemed to care about her so much after such a short time of knowing she existed.

After they went clothes, accessory, and make-up shopping (which Ayame wasn't too sure of), they decided to stop for lunch. Ayame had never had such delicious food before and Shiori smiled when she saw the girl start to smile. They didn't talk much and Shiori could definitely see that she had her father's nature. Shiori and Shuichi never conversed much either, but there was never any less love between the two. However, Shiori could tell that there was something more that was bothering Ayame, but she could only hope that her son could figure it out in time. The two would eventually have to talk.

They returned home a few hours later and Ayame brought everything into her new room. She finally had a bed, and the day before, when they bought the bed, Kurama took her shopping for her to pick out any decorations she wanted. She bought a light green bed set. She thought it would go well with the white walls to use pale, solid colors. She also bought some black paint to paint black streaks that resembled vines on her walls. Hatanaka allowed her to pick out some plants from the flower shop and she of course picked out some irises, her mother's flower, but also roses, her father's flower. She arranged the irises and roses so that they were entwined with each other and smiled. Then she heard Kurama gently knock on the door frame, clearing his throat.

Kurama was happy to see how Ayame was adjusting. Her face lit up when she turned around and she told him to come into her room. He looked around at how she decorated his father's old office and had liked what he saw. Now, when she returned home from clothes shopping, he watched her put her new clothes away, examining each and every article of clothing before she put it in her closet. He thought back to earlier when his mother had gone to talk to him.

* * *

><p>"There's something bothering her," his mother came from behind him, whispering in his ear.<p>

Kurama nodded. "I know, mother, but I won't know until she tries to talk to me."

"Shuichi, maybe you should try to talk to her," Shiori advised. "If not, I guarantee that you'll never know what's bothering her."

Kurama faced Shiori and knew in his heart that she was right. He would have to talk to Ayame sooner or later.

"I know, but I just don't know what to say."

* * *

><p><em>Kuronue was looking desperately for his friend. They had planned on meeting in this spot a half an hour before and his partner, and friend, was too analytical to ever be even a millisecond late. "Where is he?" Kuronue said in a hushed voice. He then sensed his energy coming from the lower quality homes. <em>

_When Kuronue entered tattered house, he saw Youko drinking tea with a young girl. Kuronue grinned at his partner. "So this is where you were hiding."_

_Youko gave a small chuckle. "Yes, I suppose I just lost track of time." He looked over to Julia. "This girl knows all about us."_

_"Really?" Kuronue pressed. "And how does she know of us when no one in the village does?"_

_Youko held up the pendant she had given to him. "She gave me this."_

_"And what is it?"_

_"Are you two going to continue talking as if I'm not here?" she piped in._

_"Does it bother you?" Kuronue teased._

_"Not really. The conversation isn't important enough for me to be a part of it."_

_Her indifference bothered Kuronue. "Oh really now?" he asked, glaring at the girl._

_Julia turned to continue her chores and Kuronue was about to give her a piece of his mind when Youko shot him one of his glares as if to say not to mess with this girl or there would be hell to pay. When Julia left the room, Kuronue grinned at his friend and teased him. "So you like that one, huh?"_

_"Actually I do," Youko said indifferently. He held up the pendant she gave him and looked into it. Every time he did, he saw her face reflected in it._

_"Seriously, what is that?" Kuronue asked._

_"Something as important to me as your pendant is to you," was all the answer Youko planned to give._

* * *

><p>Kurama walked into his room, went rummaging through his desk drawer, and pulled out the same pendant Julia had given him. When he looked into it, he still saw Julia's face. Obviously he didn't have it when he escaped to Human World but, when he was forced into training recruits for Yomi, he located it and got it back. The details on that were kept classified in his own mind.<p>

He held it up and examined it. Kurama never wanted to part with that pendant, as it was what showed Julia to him over all the years that he missed her, but he knew that maybe it was time to pass the treasure Julia gave him to their daughter. She needed it now more than he did.

* * *

><p>"Daddy? What's wrong? Why are we stopping?" Kiyoshi questioned as Hiei stopped abruptly. They were at the outskirts of a village, one of the villages that Hiei was worried about.<p>

"Do not leave my side. Keep your hiruiseki stone hidden. Don't talk to anyone and don't look anyone in the eyes. It is not safe here, but we have to go through here to complete our journey." Hiei said all of this sounding somewhat bored; however, he was using that façade to avoid showing how worried he was.

The two fire youkai continued through the town. Hiei just walked through as if he owned the place and Kiyoshi stayed at his side grasping onto his cloak. The thieves of the village were staring at them as they walked through. Two C class demons blocked there way.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here. Some passersby, perhaps?" one said, letting out an evil chuckled. Kiyoshi clutched onto Hiei's cloak tighter.

"Issss ssssomthing wrong, kid?" the other demon asked hissing like a snake.

"We have no business with you. Move out of the way or I will make you move," Hiei said.

"Oh, this short guy has a spine. Somewhat refreshing. But face it, you don't stand a chance against us," the first demon said chuckling.

Hiei unsheathed his katana before anyone could blink an eye and managed to make a few small cuts in the two demons (he didn't want Kiyoshi to have to deal with watching them die). "Hn. Fools," he said, passing the two demons whose mouths were hanging open and who were frozen in fear.

They stayed quiet until they reached the outskirts of the town. It went better than Hiei had expected. "That was amazing," he heard Kiyoshi say as if in awe.

"Maybe I'll teach you how to fight with a katana when you're older. Learning to control your fire powers is more important for you right now."

Kiyoshi nodded and smiled. "Okay, daddy."

* * *

><p>Hours later, they finally reached the base of a mountain; however, it was already nightfall, so Hiei managed to find a cave. They entered the cave and Hiei took out a few things: some paper and a couple of sticks that he knew they would need eventually to start a fire, some food, and some water. Hiei started a fire and took out a couple of cans of instant ramen. He put some water into the cups and put them near the fire to get cooked.<p>

After they ate, Hiei let the fire die down as Kiyoshi was already asleep next to him. He was sitting up against the cave wall with his hands behind his head and Kiyoshi was resting his head on Hiei's chest. Hiei closed his eyes; again, he would remain on the alert in case any unwanted guests were to sneak in at any point during the night.

* * *

><p><em>"Rui, do not feel sorry for the beast. He will bring nothing but sorrow to this village," the elder said as Rui tried to drown out the sound of her best friend crying and begging for her son's life to be spared. The baby boy was looking at her; in her heart, Rui knew that the baby knew what was going on.<em>

_"Be safe. When you get older and come for the revenge that you truly deserve, please kill me first. It is the least I can do to repent for what I am about to do to you." She tucked his hiruiseki stone in the wrap he was swaddled in and closed her eyes as she dropped him down the side of a mountain. Hina's cries echoed through the village and in the baby boy's heart._

_However, Hina did not have to worry about whether or not her son survived. He had survived, but now he was alone. A day went by before anyone found him, and of course, it was a group of travelling thieves that found him returning from one of their raids. The only reason they stopped for the boy was to steal his mother's crystallized tear. Hiei let them know what he thought of that and bit the leader. He was taken in after that._

_..._

_Hiei was not able to live much of a free life. Being the youngest in the group, he suffered greatly. The thieves constantly attempted to take his precious treasure away from him and he managed to keep it safe by allowing himself to be used a punching bag until he realized that he could defend himself._

_He stole a katana from one of the other tents and stayed awake in his own, him kneeling on one knee, resting one arm on his other leg and keeping the other on the hilt on his unsheathed sword. He was ready for an attack, and when another demon foolishly made his move, Hiei killed him…his first kill. Hiei didn't even feel sorry for it. It was the demon's fault for attacking him and trying to steal what was important to him._

_The leader tried to punish Hiei for his insolence, but his back-up was wasted and he began to fear the strength the boy possessed. He figured it was just a stage he was going through as a young youkai, but when killing became a usual occurrence for Hiei, the leader was forced to send him away, leaving the young demon alone again._

* * *

><p>"Daddy, wake up," Kiyoshi said, shaking Hiei awake. Hiei apparently allowed himself to go into a deeper sleep than last time. Outside the cave entrance was light; it was morning.<p>

Hiei didn't respond to Kiyoshi and packed up everything but the soup cans and ashes from the fire. Kiyoshi looked at his father with his questioning eyes. He knew something was bothering Hiei and he thought it had something to do with the ice village they were going to. It finally hit him that he may see his mother, but what about Hiei? Wasn't he excited to be returning to their homeland and visiting his own mother as well?

"Daddy, what's your mommy like?" Kiyoshi asked. Hiei flinched and stared straight at the wall.

* * *

><p><em>After receiving the Jagan implant, Hiei set off for the Glacial Lands to take revenge on those who had harmed him and pained his mother in forcing her to watch him go to his death. Upon arrival, Hiei could tell that these scared, isolated, and fragile ice maidens were already dead. Just seeing him caused everyone to run in fear, not that he cared. It was a waste to use his powers on those who were already miserable and suffering. His presence there was more of a punishment than anything he had contemplated doing on the way up the mountain.<em>

_Hiei saw Rui saying goodbye to the elder who had ordered her to exile him. He approached her and assured her safety, explaining that he was looking for Hina. She brought Hiei to a cemetery and explained that Hina had killed herself. The pain Hina felt from losing her son was too great for her to bear any longer. Rui told him about Hina's daughter, Yukina, and her mysterious disappearance. Hiei didn't say anything and started to walk away, and then Rui realized who he was. Upon her realization, Rui ran to the boy she had cast out, grabbed his arm, and fell to his feet. She begged him to take his revenge on her. Hiei looked down at her; he pitied her._

_"Get up off the ground. Your groveling is pathetic. I have no intention in taking your life. I have no interest in killing a society that's already dead."_

_He shook his arm out of the stunned koorime's hands and then disappeared._

* * *

><p>Many years later, the same ice maiden he had let live had brought him Kiyoshi. Hiei realized the impact he must have made on Rui by his refusal to kill her. Kiyoshi shook him out of his memories. Hiei had yet to answer his question.<p>

"My mother is dead, Kiyoshi. She died a long time ago," he said, looking away from Kiyoshi to hide his slightly saddened expression. He received a hug from Kiyoshi and smiled. "Let's go before it gets dark again. The journey up this mountain is difficult."


	7. Chapter 7 Defense of a Child

Disclaimer: YYH, its characters, and anything quoted from the show do not belong to me. Kiyoshi, Ayame, and story's plot do.

* * *

><p>The walk up the mountain went quicker than Hiei expected while having a child with him. Kiyoshi seemed more than anxious to get to the top. When they reached the outskirts of the village, Kiyoshi started laughing and ran towards the gate. Hiei ran in front of him to stop him, leaving the boy to look at him in confusion.<p>

"What's wrong, daddy? We're here." His innocence made Hiei want to let him continue his sprint into the town, but he stood his ground.

"We can't just run into the town. We aren't exactly welcome here," Hiei said calmly.

"Of course we are," Kiyoshi said. "We were born here. It's our home."

Hiei shook his head. "It's not our home. Just stay close to me, okay?" Kiyoshi nodded.

They entered the town and Hiei thought back to when he first came here. The women were the same now as they were back then. They took their daughters into their homes at the sight of the two males that had just entered their village. One girl didn't seem to notice them and was still playing with her daughter. Hiei and stopped in front of her; and when she saw him and Kiyoshi, she gasped, picked up her daughter, and tried to go into the house. Hiei was faster than her and blocked her way and grabbed her wrist. The girl looked at him as if he had just committed a serious crime worse than all of his other crimes.

"We are not here to hurt you," Hiei said calmly. "We are looking for Rui."

"You should not be here," the girl said harshly. "Go now before I get the elders and you are punished for trespassing here." Hiei let go of her wrist and let her run into her home. He shook his head as he started walking back over to Kiyoshi. The two of them started walking deeper into the town until they reached the cemetery where Rui had taken Hiei the first time he had visited.

The two boys saw two people standing there, Rui and Yukina. Hiei's eyes widened; he was not expecting to see Yukina there.

Kiyoshi's face lit up, and before Hiei could tell him not to say anything, Kiyoshi ran over to Yukina and hugged her. "Auntie Yukina, what are you doing here?"

Yukina looked down and was surprised to see Kiyoshi there. "This is where I used to live. What are you doing here?"

Yukina looked over to Hiei who turned his head away. He was not ready to face her as her brother and could not look her in the eye. He knew his secret was about to be blown at any second and closed his eyes waiting to hear the truth come out.

"Daddy told me where I was from and that I was a Forbidden Child like him and I wanted to come find my mommy," Kiyoshi said innocently, still not understanding why he was "forbidden."

Yukina looked up at Hiei who still wasn't looking at her, even though his eyes were opened as soon as Kiyoshi said they were both "Forbidden Children." He knew Yukina had figured it out. Rui went over to the boy and took him off to the side to leave the two siblings alone to talk. She was very happy to see how Kiyoshi had turned out and mentally noted that her decision to leave the baby with Hiei was the right one.

"I knew," Yukina said, standing in front of Hiei. He moved his eyes towards her, but still tried to force himself not to look at her. He said nothing in return. "I knew that you were lying when you said my brother was dead." Again, he said nothing and looked down at the snow. "I knew that you were staying quiet to avoid telling me what was really going on." He closed his eyes and then felt a hand on his shoulder. "What I don't know is why," she stated calmly.

Hiei looked at her and then looked away from her again. "You would have been better off not knowing," he said sadly.

"Why do you say that, Hiei?" Yukina asked him.

"I'm a terrible person. I grew up with thieves. I stole; I killed; I enjoyed committing those crimes. How could you accept a brother with such a dark past?"

Yukina pulled him into a hug which caught Hiei off guard. His eyes widened as he saw the smile on Yukina's face. "Just because that brother had a dark past doesn't mean he is a bad person." Hiei couldn't help but smile at that and he awkwardly returned her hug.

"Daddy!" Kiyoshi called to Hiei.

Hiei moved away from Yukina. "What is it?" he asked.

"Aunt Rui said she knows who my mommy is and that she'll bring us to see her."

Hiei smiled. Kiyoshi was finally going to get what he wanted. It wasn't until they reached the house that they were at before when Hiei's smile faded. He was praying that the woman who had told him off earlier was not Kiyoshi's mother. Rui saw the look on Hiei's face and immediately understood.

"Yukina, would you mind taking Kiyoshi over by that tree to play for a little bit. Hiei and I are going to talk to the girl first." Yukina nodded and she and Kiyoshi ran over to the tree.

Hiei and Rui entered the home of the young girl and her daughter. The girl was not happy when she saw Hiei next to Rui. "Rui, what are you doing with that horrid creature and what happened to the abomination that was with him?" Venom was evident in this girl's tone. Rui bit her lip as she saw Hiei tense up and clench his fists to the point where he cut his skin and his blood fell. She could sense his anger at the girl's hateful words.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "That _abomination_ is your son!" he hissed at the girl. She didn't seem to care. She just looked at Rui.

"Rui, you were ordered to kill that mistake. Why didn't you?" Hiei was getting more pissed every time he heard the girl speak.

"Because killing him would have been a mistake. I couldn't make the same mistake again that I had made with Hina's son."

"Hina committed a crime and for that she was punished. That boy should have never existed. What does it matter that you killed him?" Hiei was fighting not to take this woman out now.

"He lived," Rui said. "And he was hurting, and seeing that made me realize the mistake I had made. Hina did not commit any crime in my book. She fell in love and she loved her son. It seems the only crime in this village is to love."

"How could I love an abomination?" the girl asked. "I was taken advantage of. That child was not a product of love, but of hate. I want no part of him. You should have killed him."

Hiei was too pissed off at this point to think. "AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO SAY THAT?" Hiei screamed at the girl, causing her to move back. She was afraid he would hit her; but even though he wanted to, he wouldn't.

"Who are you to question anything I say?" she asked, her back against the wall as he walked up to her.

"I am the one who has been raising him and he is a good kid and very happy, and all he wanted was to come meet his mother so he could have some type of closure, but I will not let him be exposed to this kind of hatred. I will not let your words harm him."

At this, Kiyoshi and Yukina had walked into the house. The look on Yukina's face told that the two had heard everything and Hiei's heart sunk when he saw the tears in Kiyoshi's eyes. The boy looked devastated and he took one last look at his mother and ran out of the house as far as he could. Hiei would have continued screaming at the woman, because he certainly had more to say, but he chose to chase after Kiyoshi instead hoping he could change the boy's opinion of himself.

* * *

><p>"<em>So are you sure Kuronue won't mind if we eat without him?" Julia asked, setting up a blanket in a field of flowers.<em>

_"I may have forgotten to mention that we decided to go on a picnic," Youko said with a devilish smile causing Julia to slightly blush._

_"You know, you have to stop trying to smooth talk me. It won't work, you know?" she teased as she started taking the food out of a basket she made._

_Youko took her by the arm and pulled her closer to him with a serious look in his eyes. "Maybe smooth talking you won't win you over," he said revealing a faint smile, "but this might." Julia closed her eyes as Youko leaned in to kiss her. When their lips met, they both were attacked by the overwhelming scent of irises being blown in the wind._

_He put his hand behind her neck and deepened the kiss and she lied back, putting her arms around his neck. He put his hand on her hip and moved to her back when the couple heard someone clear their throat._

_"You two do realize that this is probably the worst place to do that, right?" Kuronue asked, grinning at the two lying on the ground._

_Youko narrowed his eyes at Kuronue but softened when he felt Julia rub his ears. "He's right, you know?" she said. "We could be attacked at any minute."_

_Youko sighed. "I know," he said. "Maybe we should get you home now."_

_Youko looked over at Kuronue. Kuronue grinned and said, "Oh no, I'd rather eat the food she made. You two go have fun." That last part he said, winking at Youko. Youko just shook his head and held his hand out for Julia to take._

_They made it back to her home and before Youko left, he felt Julia rubbing his ears again. He let out a quiet chuckle and turned to take her in his arms. "And what do you think you're doing?" he asked, rubbing her arms. Julia just answered him with a smile and then moved in to kiss him. Youko accepted the kiss and ran his hands through her hair. Before they knew it, they made it over to her couch and completely lost themselves in each other. _

_Youko woke up the next morning to the sound of Julia singing and cooking. He grabbed his robe and got dressed before walking over to her. He hugged her from behind and nuzzled in her neck taking in her scent. She smiled and moved her hand to his head, running her fingers though his silver hair._

_"I think I've found what I'm looking for," he said in a whisper._

_"Me too," she said with a smile._

_..._

_Youko and Kuronue stayed in the town for a few more weeks until they had to leave…more like, they were being forced to leave. A bounty hunter had been traveling and ran into the two thieves and recognized them instantly. A chase began and the two thieves managed to lose the bounty hunter. They looked at each other understanding the danger they were in. They went to Julia's house, not to hide, but to say goodbye for good._

_Kuronue stood guard at the door and waited for his friend to say his goodbyes. Julia did not take the news very well, but she always knew that the day would come where he would have to leave and return to a life of crime and she had no plans on holding him back, even if she was pregnant. He still needed to live his life. She gave him the necklace, as a token to remember her by, and one final kiss. _

"_I will never forget you, Youko Kurama," she said, fighting back tears. "Please, be safe."_

_He put his hand to her cheek. "I will be. And I will never forget you either, I promise. I will come back to you…someday."_

_With that, the two demons left and managed to get away from the angry citizens of the town, never looking back. Years later, Kuronue was killed by the same bounty hunter who had run them out of that town and Youko was forced to work alone, but not for long. A member of the Spirit Defense Force found him less than a decade later and "killed" him. That was when Youko had escaped to the human world and was born as Shuichi._

* * *

><p>He kept the promise that he would never forget Julia, but he was never able to go back and find her. The only times he had been in the Makai since he became human was during the fight with Sensui, when he was forced to live at Yomi's palace and train an army, and then for the Demon World Tournament. He hadn't been back in Demon World since, but it didn't matter now.<p>

What mattered now was the daughter who was mourning over her mother's death. Kurama knocked softly on her door when he heard muffled sobs coming from behind. When he didn't receive an answer, he let himself in and found Ayame curled up in a corner crying. He quickly walked over to her and gave her a hug.

"Ayame," he said not letting go, "please tell me what's wrong." Ayame shook her head and Kurama got more forceful. His voice got really dark as he said, "You will tell me what's wrong."

Ayame knew he wasn't going to drop it. She looked him in the eye, but then looked away as if she were ashamed. "I lied to you," she said, still crying.

Kurama looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Ayame turned away from him. "My mother is dead because of me."

Kurama tried his best to conceal his shock. He asked her to explain so she did. She and Julia had stopped in a town and were just getting some supplies. The demons who attacked them later had met Ayame there. They were talking to her and being friendly while her mother was inside a store, asking her what she was doing there. Ayame's mother always told her never to tell who her father was (mostly because she knew that his enemies would use it against him), but Ayame didn't like being told she couldn't do something and let it slip that Youko was her father. That's why the thieves had attacked them at the dimensional hole between the Makai and human world.

When Ayame was done explaining, she got up and tried to run out of the room, but Kurama stopped her. "Let me go," she whispered.

"Not a chance," Kurama responded. "You are my daughter and you are upset. I refuse to let you leave like this."

"But I got my mother, the one you loved, killed," she cried. "You should be mad at me, not concerned."

Kurama forced her to look at him and he shook his head. "What happened was not your fault. If it was anyone's fault, it was mine. You couldn't have known what they would do. So no, Ayame, it was not your fault."

He took out the necklace that Julia had given him and placed it in Ayame's hands. Her eyes widened. "Is this-?"

She was cut off by his nod. Obviously Ayame knew about the necklace and about his time with Julia. "What did you see?" she asked him.

"Julia," he said. "And you?" She looked into the pendant.

"The both of you," she answered.


	8. Chapter 8 Pride in One's Family

Disclaimer: I won't say it because I said it again and again for the last few chapters. Like I said, you know the drill.

* * *

><p>Hiei ran through the Glacial Village trying to find Kiyoshi, calling his name. Many of the ice apparitions peeked outside their doors to find out who was making so much noise, but they quickly closed them when they saw Hiei. One of the elders saw him and moved into his path, blocking him from moving any further.<p>

"You're not welcomed here," she said coldly. "You need to leave now."

Hiei glared at the woman in front of him. "Fine, I'll leave. I know I'm not welcomed here. But I am not leaving without my son and if you try and stop me from finding him, there will be hell to pay and I can guarantee that you will suffer."

The woman glared back at the boy, not knowing that he was the one she had ordered Rui to toss away. She let him pass, watching his every movement to determine if he was going to cause anyone trouble.

Hiei ended up back to where his mother was buried. He still hadn't found Kiyoshi and he was starting to worry since the snow was picking up. He turned slightly and noticed a cave in the side of the mountain and decided that place was as good as any to look. Upon entering the cave, he saw the boy, curled up in a ball…crying.

Hiei let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he found Kiyoshi. Unfortunately, Kiyoshi was far from fine. When Hiei went over to him and reached to touch his shoulder, Kiyoshi tightened his eyes and tried to push Hiei away, accidently shooting flames at him in the process.

Hiei wasn't bothered by the flames and instead pushed through them. He knelt down beside Kiyoshi and tried to talk to him. "Hey," he said. "You ready to go home?"

Kiyoshi shook his head. "I don't have a home," he said. When he said this, Hiei's heart fell. Kiyoshi continued. "You heard what she said. I'm not supposed to be here. I was supposed to be killed."

"No," Hiei said, his voice faltering, "you were not meant to be killed. You are a good kid and I'm proud to call you my son. I have to admit, I have no idea how you became such an honest kid with a father like me. I know I may not be the most easy-going guy around, but slowly, you're changing that." Kiyoshi looked over at Hiei as if asking for him to continue. "I never cared about anyone, save Yukina. I thought love was a pointless, human emotion, but it's not. It actually matters and you are the one who showed me that. Neither of us was meant to die; we were meant to be there for each other."

"But she doesn't want me," Kiyoshi whimpered.

Hiei sighed and then said with a strong voice, "But I do."

Kiyoshi smiled, though tears were still falling. He jumped on Hiei to give him a hug and both of them had smiles on their faces. "Are you guys here?" they head Yukina's voice say outside of the cave. When they exited the cave, Yukina's back was towards them.

Yukina felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around, surprised, happy, and relieved to see that both Hiei and Kiyoshi were okay.

"I think we are going to head back to Kurama's," Hiei said.

Yukina frowned and then nodded. "I understand. Just be careful."

"D-daddy?" Kiyoshi said hesitantly.

Hiei looked down at him. "Hm?"

"Can we go back there for a second?" he asked. "There's something I need to do."

Hiei didn't like the idea of Kiyoshi going back to that woman's house, but he agreed. He stayed close beside Kiyoshi for support.

The woman was not happy to see either of them. "I said I don't want anything to do with him," she said.

"It wasn't my choice, but his," Hiei replied. "Let him talk and then you will never see us again."

The woman glared at the two, but listened. Her daughter stayed close by to hear what the strangers had to say.

"I know you don't want me and you don't like me, but since you are my mom, I want you to know that I love you…even if I don't know you," Kiyoshi said while everyone, including Hiei stared at him, stunned. "It's not your fault you were taught to fear us. I don't blame you for not liking me or not wanting to see me. I just wanted you to know that before we left."

Kiyoshi turned to leave and Hiei stared at the woman in disgust. How could she still be so cold to him when he said all of that to her? Hiei's eyes softened when he saw the look in the woman's eyes. He knew that look since he had seen it in himself many times before…self-loathing, guilt, regret. He then turned to follow Kiyoshi.

"Does that mean he's my brother?" the little girl said. Hiei flinched and Kiyoshi froze. They both turned to look at the girl.

Hiei simply nodded. He noticed the woman try to grab her daughter, but the girl was too fast for her and she ran over and tackled Kiyoshi. The two were both laughing as they landed on the ground and were covered in snow. Hiei tried to contain himself, but the sight of the two little ones laughing made him smile and he laughed along with them…yes, Hiei laughed and not at someone else's pain. He knelt down to the two kids brushing the snow off of them.

"Get your hands off my daughter!" the woman yelled. Hiei glared at her and she backed down.

"Let them be," Hiei said. "Didn't you take enough away from them already?" He turned to the little girl. "So what's your name?" he asked.

"My name is Emiko," she said. "What about you two?"

"I am Hiei," he said, shaking the girl's hand.

"And I'm Kiyoshi," Kiyoshi said with a smile.

Emiko smiled. "I'm so happy I have a brother," she said. "Yukina always talked about having a brother she didn't know."

Yukina had been waiting around quietly and decided to come out now. "You're looking at him," she said to Emiko.

Emiko looked to Hiei and smiled. "So you're Yukina's brother?"

Hiei smiled and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Cool, now we both have brothers," she said jumping up happily. She and Kiyoshi were definitely related. "Can't you stay?" she asked.

"No, they can't!" the girl's mother screamed. "They are not welcome here."

"But why not?" Emiko asked.

"Because most of the women here are bitter," Hiei said, "and want nothing to do with men. But that's fine." He turned to the woman and said, "You don't deserve to be Kiyoshi's mother. He is a blessing that you tossed away because of fear. He deserves better than that."

"And you're better for him?" she asked sarcastically.

"I won't lie and say 'yes,' but I love him and that's what he needs. I may not be the best parent, but I'm most certainly not the worst either. So yes, I am better for him that you are."

"You're better for him period," Yukina said. "You've done a great job taking care of him and raising him. Sure, we all helped, but first and foremost, you were the one who chose what was best for him even when it wasn't the best for you. That's what a parent does."

Hiei smiled and then turned to Kiyoshi. "Let's go home."

Kiyoshi smiled, nodded, and hugged Emiko goodbye.

"C-can I go with you?" she asked innocently.

Hiei was shocked; Kiyoshi smiled innocently; Yukina smiled too; and the girl's mother looked angry. "No! You can't go with them! If you do, you will be a traitor to our race."

"Like I am?" Yukina asked. "I'm still welcome here even though I decided to go to Human World to find my brother."

"You are only welcome here because your mother's grave is here and because of Rui."

Hiei tightened his fist when she mentioned his and Yukina's mother. Then he yelled at her. "At least our mother was willing to take us away from here and raise us on her own."

"Where did you hear that nonsense?"

"I was aware of everything going on around me since the day I was born. I heard everything the elders said. It was her punishment for falling in love, my punishment for existing, and Rui's punishment for allowing our mother to leave the village for a short time. But she wanted to raise Yukina and me together. She showed more courage and love than you are showing now."

After a few more insults from both sides, Emiko made her decision to go with Hiei and Kiyoshi back to Human World. Kiyoshi was very happy to have a sister, a younger sister, like Yukina was to Hiei. Yukina was going to let Rui know about the decision and accompany the three back home. Emiko was going to stay with her at Genkai's temple until Hiei could afford an apartment so that the two wouldn't have to be separated for long. Hiei and Yukina smiled at the two kids as they travelled back to the portal to Human World.

* * *

><p>Things got better between Kurama and Ayame. They talked a lot more, both sharing stories about Julia, and Kurama telling his side of the story to the day he met her mother. Classes got better for Ayame and she had made a few new friends, even a few guy friends whom Kurama always kept his eye on.<p>

"Dad, should we set up here?" Ayame asked. The two of them were going for a picnic in the woods.

Kurama smiled and nodded. "Sure, this is a very good spot."

The two sat there for a few hours eating the meal Shiori had helped Kurama prepare, talking about how school was going for both of them. They usually didn't talk much about anything at home, so they went on a picnic every weekend to talk about that kind of stuff. Kurama laughed at how much she looked like Julia, but acted like him.

When Ayame finished telling Kurama about all of her exams and about her plans during the upcoming week with her friends, they both froze as they sensed another demonic presence; however, they didn't freeze because they didn't recognize the energy. Both Ayame and Kurama turned to the direction of the demon they had been sensing.

"Oh my God," Kurama breathed out.

"Mom?" Ayame asked, her astonishment evident, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"I'm glad you listened and went ahead, sweetie," a female demon said. "You wouldn't have wanted to be around during that fight."

Kurama just stared at the woman, dumbfounded. "But your energy…I sensed it vanish," Ayame said, equally as confused as her father.

"I did that so you would be forced to move on and find your father."

"Julia?" Kurama breathed out, standing up and walking over to her.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Julia asked the kitsune, smiling.

Kurama smiled back. "Yes, it has," he said softly. "I missed you every day." Then he frowned and looked over at Ayame, who just smiled. He looked back at Julia. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because there was a bounty hunter after you and I knew you couldn't stay," Julia said sadly. "If you had, you would have been killed and I couldn't let that happen, so I let you leave."

He took her face in his hands. "I never wanted to leave."

"I know," Julia responded as she kissed him. When they parted, Julia said, "I love the new look."

Kurama laughed. "At least I managed to escape death and be with you again, and our daughter."

The happy family continued on with their picnic before returning home. Kurama introduced his family to Julia and she was welcomed as much as his daughter was weeks before. Kurama smiled at Julia and Ayame interacting with his human family and he felt overjoyed to see Julia and Ayame together. Ayame got up from the couch and went over to him and hugged him. "Both of our desires came true," she said. Kurama smiled and nodded, hugging his daughter back.

"That we did, my precious daughter."


	9. Epilogue: Sharing in Happiness

Disclaimer: I still do not own YYH or its characters. I only own my OC's Kiyoshi, Ayame, and now Emiko has been added to the mix.

This is the last chapter of Raising a Family and a sequel will follow called Trial by Fire.

* * *

><p>Years went by and the group had never been happier. Hiei had changed a lot thanks to the two children he was looking after and with help from his sister. He still couldn't get over the fact that she knew about him being her brother, but he was happy that she accepted him in spite of his dark past.<p>

"Come on, Emiko," Kiyoshi called behind him and Hiei. "You are so slow." Hiei chuckled and shook his head.

"Be nice to your sister," he said to Kiyoshi.

"Yes, daddy," Kiyoshi replied returning Hiei's smile.

They made it to the top of Genkai's temple to be greeted by their family. Yes, not friends, but family. Hiei had finally accepted them all as part of his life long ago, sometime before his sister's wedding and after Kurama's. About a year after Julia had returned, Kurama married her so that Ayame could have a complete family. Then two more years passed before Kuwabara had proposed to Yukina. They got married a year later and Yukina moved into Kuwabara's home. By that time, Hiei had been able to move himself and Kiyoshi into an apartment, and Emiko was able to live with them. Another year passed and now they were at Genkai's temple celebrating Kiyoshi and Emiko's tenth birthday.

"Can we have cake now?" Emiko asked. She really liked cake and couldn't get enough of it after she had first tasted it.

"I wanna eat sweet snow," Kiyoshi said, talking about ice cream. Hiei normally called it "sweet snow" and Kiyoshi picked up on it.

Yukina smiled at the two children. "You have to eat lunch first, kids," she said sweetly earning a whine from both of the kids.

Kurama chuckled at them. "You can't always eat sweets, you know. And I'm sure your father has taught you no sweets before dinner."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke said. "Here you two," he said as he handed them each a piece of candy. Yusuke looked over at Hiei who was glaring at them, but since it was their birthday, Hiei let it go.

Hiei spent some time talking with Kurama and Julia about Ayame and he found out that Julia was pregnant with their second child. Hiei congratulated Kurama before he went over to talk to his sister who was watching Kiyoshi and Emiko playing tag with each other.

"It makes me happy to see those two together," Yukina said, looking up at Hiei with a smile on her face.

Hiei smiled at her and hugged her from the side. "Yes, it is good to see them this happy."

"Are you happy, Hiei?" Yukina asked, her voice a little hesitant.

Hiei took a few minutes to think about it. He had never been happy throughout his life because of the cards fate had dealt him, but he realized had he not been a "Forbidden Child," he would have never been able to raise Kiyoshi or Emiko and Yukina wouldn't be his sister. If he had never been found by those thieves, he would have never met Kurama or Yusuke and he wouldn't be standing where he was at the moment. This happiness he felt would have never existed.

"Yes, Yukina," he finally said. "I am happy."

* * *

><p>AN: So there you have it! A happy ending to make up for all that depressing stuff. Hope you enjoyed it :) Also, I never mentioned this, but the titles were meant to list all the things our parents do for us in our times of need, whether it's hard on them or not.


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